Liz was extremely petrafied about the prospect of taking a tiny five seater Cesna plane to Angel Falls gateway, Canaima. Canaima is not connected by any roads and is surrounded by waterfalls so the only way to get there was by plane.

At the airport in Cuidad Bolivar we drove past the plane that Jimmy Angel used to discover the falls. It wasn't always here, Jimmy crash landed it onto the top of the Tepui (table mountain) that Angel Falls helps drain. Unbelivably Jimmy found a way down the vertical cliffs and through the jungle to safety.

Liz used the last of the El Salvador duty free vodka to take the edge off the flying experience. She positively humed of alcohol when the airport security guard asked her if she had any alcohol on her. Little did he suspect that the water bottle Liz was carrying was actually vodka.

Being such a small plane we were close enough to touch the instruments the pilot uses. The fact that both fuel gauges read rock bottom didn't help Liz when she finally had enough courage to open her eyes after take off. For me it was great to be back in a small plane again skimming across the tops of fluffy white clouds.

Civilisation gradually made way for jungle, rivers and lakes. Eventually the distinctive tepuis of Venezuela came into view. The guy sitting next to the captain turned round and then pointed directly ahead with excitement - Canaima. It wasn't however the end of the flight he was excited about it was the beauty of the setting Canaima had. A large lagoon surrounded by waterfalls and tepuis.

After very nearly missing our pickup from the airport we found out that there had been a change of plan. We were not going to spend the first day here instead we were going straight to Angel Falls jungle camp today (basically they double booked and there wasn't enough room for us in the posada.

Getting to the camp involved spending 5 hours in a dug out canoe going up river. The dug out canoes here however are big, you can easily sit two abreast and are very long. When loaded they sit low in the water making the rapids all the way up the river that much more exciting. Whilst I enjoyed the rapids I also found them fustrating. Taking photos of the stunning scenery was hampered by constantly having to put the camera inside a plastic bag to keep it dry. A ill timed photo just before we went through rather than over a wave was a reminder to be careful.

What makes the rivers here different to anywhere else I have been is the colour. Tanning in the water makes the shallows look red and the deep water inky black. Occasionaly you would see pink sandy shores, unexpectedly we got a closer look at one of these beaches.

The outboard motor had been losing power about half way into the journey. You would hold your breath during critical rapids sections where you really didn't want the boat to lose power completely. We stopped at a sandy beach where it was safe enough to attempt an engine repair. Fixing it didn't work but before I started thinking about spending the night here the crew to my surprise said they had a spare engine. The engines were swapped and we were on our way again. All was good for about 5 minutes before this one also started losing power. However the engine kept going and we were lucky to get an amazing clear view of Angel Falls just before arriving at camp around sunset.

We were shown to the hammock hotel basically a open sided shelter with hammocks strung across the supports. Coffee was at hand and chickens were being cooked on a bonfire - all was good.

During the more basic vegetarian dinner the guide asked us whether we knew how to get the best sleep in a hammock. Getting drunk was not the answer and after saying "I will show you" started to make a minature hammock out of chilly bottles (supports), napkin (hammock) and scrunched up napkins (people). I was that impressed I walked 20 yards to get the camera.

After lunch the guide gave the group some info on the indigious people of Venezuela, I however thought of something better to do. I went out into the pitch black jungle looking for bugs. None were found in the jungle but I was pretty certain to find something in the toilets - I was right. One thing was strange, there was absolutely no Mosquitos.

By this time the guide had finished his talk and the group wanted to join me looking for 'things' in the jungle. The guide offered his services and we set out in the direction of another camp. Ten of us and only three lights, which were with the people at the frount. The people at the back were blind, going by the crashing and laughing having a hard but fun time with it.

We were all travelling light apart from a photography proffessor that had extensive and really expensive camera equipment (helped by his aid). He was the only person that had any beer, everyone else went to their hammocks early in anticipation of an early start.